


Walls

by 24notfound



Category: DreamSMP, Dreamwastaken, George - Fandom, GeorgeNotFound - Fandom, Sapnap - Fandom, dnf - Fandom, dream - Fandom, dreamnotfound - Fandom, mcyt
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Internal Conflict, M/M, Pining, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Teasing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-26
Packaged: 2021-03-27 19:47:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30127905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/24notfound/pseuds/24notfound
Summary: He had the awkward tenderness of someone who has never been loved and is forced to improvise.When George is finally able to visit Dream in Florida, they start to face a lot more complications than they'd anticipated.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 83
Kudos: 378





	1. Alt Stream Energy

**Author's Note:**

> This is fanfiction, obviously. These characters are simply just characters based on Dream and George. We all know this, but obviously if they're not comfortable with this being up, you best believe I'm taking this shit down. 
> 
> I'm not sure what content warning I'm meant to include other than swearing. There's gonna be a little bit of angst, you hate to see it. Tension 😏, you love to see it. And it's a slow burn baby, but there'll always be tension to keep you guys fed, I promise. 
> 
> Okaaaay enjoy, you cheeky bastards 😌

"Russia." George deadpanned. 

"You're such an idiot," Dream scoffed a soft laugh, "Sapnap?"

Sapnap sighed, "I'm not even gonna bother. Every time I suggest an answer, you're like: George, you really think so?" 

"Well, I'm asking the _both_ of you--" Dream began.

George giggled stating his deliriousness; they'd been streaming GeoGuessr on Dream's alt for about two whole hours. George could tell Sapnap wanted to play CSGO or quite literally anything else that wasn't GeoGuessr. He knew he'd have to go onto his alt later to stream with Sapnap, but he really couldn't keep his eyes open. 

He reached for his phone and pulled up his and Sapnap's texts. 

George: can i pass on csgo today?

Sapnap: I guess 🙄

He had one leg propped up on his chair and his elbow resting atop his desk. He watched through hooded eyes as Dream moved through the familiar streets on the screen. 

Turkey, he thought and smiled to himself winningly. 

"Romania," George said nonchalantly. 

"I was thinking Turkey," Dream huffed, "But I mean, I don't know, yeah...it could be Romania." 

George suppressed a laugh, but when he heard Sapnap chuckle quietly, he couldn't help himself. 

"What are you guys laughing at?" Dream joined in, cluelessly. 

George glanced at the clock that rested on a shelf above his desk: 3:48 PM. He usually went to bed at half-past two around the same time that Dream did, but he received a text from him earlier saying that he was alright to keep the stream going for a little longer. He wasn't going to object because they helped each other out all the time and George figured that he could sacrifice a few more hours of sleep for him. 

A couple of hours had passed and Dream was wrapping up his stream. Sapnap left a little earlier because he wanted to go hibernate in his room and play Rainbow Six Siege. George and Dream moved onto Minecraft towards the end of the stream; not really playing for anything and just roaming around on the server. 

"Thank you guys, this was fun, as always. I don't know when I'll stream next probably--" 

"Next month or something," George chimed in. 

Dream chuckled, "No, I'll probably stream in a couple of weeks."

"Wow," George said in a teasing tone, "You better hold him to that, chat."

"Well, I said probably--"

"He owes you guys a face reveal if he doesn't stream--" 

"You're so annoying," George could practically feel Dream rolling his eyes causing him to smile to himself, "Look, I can't promise anything. I might be busy working on something--"

George faked a gasp, "Oh, he's got priorities, your honour." 

Dream laughed, "What is wrong with you tonight?" 

"I need sleep!" George yelled into his mic. 

"What? Did you not sleep last night?" Dream asked, a serious tone overlapping his laugh. 

"Obviously not, _Dream_." He sulked in his seat and let out a deep sigh.

"George does this thing where he's tired, but he won't do anything about it," Dream spoke and suddenly George realized they were still on stream, causing his eyes to open slightly. 

His eyebrows furrowed, "That's not fair--that's not fair. We were gonna--I was gonna end the call to sleep, but you were like: uh, I'm not tired," He lowered his voice and mimicked an American accent. 

Dream wheezed, "Is that how I sound?" 

George broke into a grin and shook his head, "Yes. It's your fault I'm sleep-deprived. And I'm sacrificing sleep once again for your stream."

"Well, you could have said no," Dream said nonchalantly. 

"No, I can't 'cause then you'll message me begging for my attention like you always do when I try to cancel," George smirked as the words escaped his mouth. 

He wouldn't normally admit to that kind of thing, not on stream at least. If Dream's bothered by it, he'll just blame it on the sleep deprivation. 

"WHAT. I beg for your attention?" Dream exclaimed causing George to laugh, "That's funny. I'd argue that you can't say no 'cause you can't get enough of me, George." 

"Yeah, okay," George rolled his eyes. 

"Because you love me, George." Dream pressed. 

George's eyes shot up to his screen, "Stop." 

He was used to Dream's forwardness, but it still took him by surprise. He knew it was all banter and that there was no significance behind the words he said, but it's more so in the way that Dream said things. His tone? His voice? George couldn't really pinpoint it. 

They discussed their friendship before; how they're pretty open to making jokes with one another because they know nothing is going to come out of it. However, lately, George has noticed a shift between them. Dream's usual terms of endearment held a lot more weight and some of the things he said, off-stream, when it'd be just him and George, had him questioning the grounds they were standing on. 

He didn't want to look too deep into it, but what was scaring him was the way he found himself playing along. Before he'd dismiss it, he'd brush it off, or jokingly reply; lately, when Dream would say certain things, a fire camped itself inside his chest and every time he'd feed into it, he felt himself getting warmer and warmer--until he'd shut it all off. Because then at that point, at that point, it'd get a little too real. 

"George?" A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. 

"What do you want, Dream?" He feigned annoyance. 

"I'm ending the stream--" 

"Bye!" George yelled in the mic once again as he glanced at his second monitor indicating that Dream's stream had ended. 

Dream let out a deep sigh and George could hear him recline in his seat; he sounded exhausted and though it's probably no comparison to George's tiredness, he knew Dream had a lot on his plate with all the projects he was working on. 

"Aw, is Dweam tired?" George mocked as he stood from his chair and stretched his arms. 

Dream let out a tired laugh, "Not as much as you, apparently."

"You're probably right," George left the call without saying a word, giggling to himself.

He loved doing that because sure enough, he'll get a call from him in 3, he turned his monitor off, 2, walked over to his bed,...1, halfway through pulling the duvet cover over him, a ring erupted from his cell. 

He smirked at his phone screen that displayed 'Clay' and scoffed before answering, "Pathetic." 

"Did you just hang up on me?" Dream boomed from the other line.

"What was that earlier about me being in my clingy arc 'cause--" 

"Alright, okay," They both laughed, "Are you going to sleep now?"

"Yeah, are you gonna try and stop me again?" He put him on speaker and placed his phone next to his head. 

"No," Dream's voice sounded so soft all of the sudden. 

It usually did; the transition in his tone from when he's streaming to when they're on call together was obviously different, but he's been in a three-way call when it was Sapnap, Dream, and himself, and his voice was way different then than it was now. 

George hated that he noticed these things; why did he notice the way Dream's voice dropped two octaves when it was just the two of them, or how his words sounded less rushed and more thought-out, or how he'll laugh softly and quietly when he knows George is on the verge of sleep, or how he'll melodically say his name--

"George?" 

There it was. 

"Yeah?" 

"One more day." George's eyelids flew open. 

"Holy shit. One more day." George breathed out, "I can't believe it's actually happening." 

"I know," Dream paused, "I can't imagine what it'll feel like." 

"I might pass out."

Dream laughed, "I'll catch you."

There was a brief moment of silence that fell between the both of them; it wasn't awkward, it wasn't weird, it was pensive. Having to still process that there was truly one day left before George boards the plane, he wondered how they'd act around each other. 

"It might be harder for you to fall asleep with all of that in your head now." 

George rolled his eyes, "You're always keeping me up."

"I can't say I'm sorry," He could hear Dream smile. 

"That's mean." That is all he managed to say as his brain begun racing with thoughts. 

Would they shake hands? Or would Dream be okay if he just ran and tackled him into an embrace? Would Dream hug back? Would it be at all like the made-up scenarios in his head? 

Moments of silence pass between them, that comfortable silence that George loves to wallow in because it's all theirs. 

"I'll miss falling asleep like this," Dream broke his thoughts. 

"Me too," He felt himself slowly falling into a deeper state of unconsciousness. 

A few moments passed and Dream realized that George had fallen asleep; he smiled to himself and sat back in his chair, not hanging up on the call. He shut his eyes and leaned the back of his head on the headrest. 

"I'm scared, George." He said under his breath. 

Dream felt confident saying it knowing George was sound asleep, but if he had somehow heard it, he wouldn't mind: he knew they both weren't ready to see each other, and yet they were still so impatient.


	2. You're So Obsessed with Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The filler/conversation-heavy chapter of Dream pretty much making "George's #1 simp" his personality trait.

George woke up around midnight, and to say he felt like absolute dog shit would be an understatement. He couldn't remember when he fell asleep: to be fair, he was asleep halfway through Dream's stream, but he would never tell him that. He smiled to himself at the thought of how Dream's ego sometimes got the best of him.

After laying in bed for a couple of minutes, he glanced over at his nightstand and the first thing that he met eyes with was that goddamn quartz elephant. He lazily reached for it and analyzed the figurine. The way he had a genuine attachment to this object was ridiculously embarrassing; one could argue the reason behind the attachment was even more ridiculous. He considered this stupid thing a token of love from Dream and he would keep that secret until he's six feet under.

He couldn't believe that in about less than twenty-four hours, he'd be in Florida. He would be in the same vicinity--the same room as Dream. This person he'd been talking to since 2016, all the sleepless nights invaded by ten to twelve-hour discord calls, it was all gonna be right in front of him. He'd be able to reach over and touch Dream.

He placed the elephant on his chest and ran a hand down his face before taking a deep breath. It was a scary fucking thought. There'd been a few times where he genuinely considered the idea of canceling the ticket and coming up with an excuse as to why he couldn't go, but he knew Dream wanted to meet him. So did he.

He sat up in his bed and was immediately met with his reflection from the mirror across the room. He grimaced and tussled his hair, not accomplishing much. Before he could get out of bed, a ring erupted from his phone which sat atop the pillow where he last left it. He looked over his shoulder and the screen read 'Clay'.

George snorted and grabbed the phone, answering the call, "You're so obsessed with me."

A warm laugh escaped Dream, "Good morning, sunshine."

He grimaced, "What?"

"So, I spoke with the owner of the house, well both Nic and I did," He cleared his throat, "She said she's down to meet us, like, your second week here."

"You could have just texted this, you know." George rolled his eyes, pretending to be annoyed at the fact that he called, but in reality, he didn't mind one bit.

Dream knew that too.

"But then I wouldn't be able to hear your sexy raspy, morning voice, George." Dream purred.

George gagged, "Are you writing a fanfiction live? Also, it is midnight."

"That's when your day starts anyway." Dream chuckled.

He stood up, nearly stumbling forward as he felt himself get lightheaded, "Woah."

"What?"

"I'm just a little lightheaded."

"I mean, yeah, you slept like less than six hours. Don't you need like, twelve hours?"

"Twelve?" George exclaimed, "I'm not a sloth."

"No, you're baby."

George's nose scrunched, "Oh my god."

Dream's familiar wheeze rang through the line and George couldn't help but smile.

"I think the boys are on TeamSpeak if you wanna join?" Dream asked as George made his way over to his desk.

"Who's streaming?" He turned his monitor on and got settled at his desk. 

"No one, but I think Bad wants to play Among Us," 

"I'm so shit at that game," George chuckled.

"Do it for me?" Dream asked, his tone going soft, "I'll enjoy it more if you're there."

George smiled to himself and let out a deep sigh, "Fine. I'll see you in there."

He ended the call before Dream could speak another word. He didn't hate the game, but he didn't necessarily enjoy it, nor would he play it unless Dream was. There are times when Dream had asked him to join games that Corpse was hosting as they needed more people, and he wouldn't join at times because he simply didn't feel like it. However, at the moment that Dream had personally asked George to join because he wanted his company, how could he say no? He couldn't. 

He entered the group call after undeafening and unmuting to be greeted by the natural chaos that ensued when both Quackity, Sapnap, and Karl were in the call. He nearly rolled his eyes when Quackity called upon him, imitating a British accent. 

"Leave him alone, he just got here." Dream chimed in, laughing slightly. 

"I think I'm gonna stream, actually," George stated.

George launched his stream and welcomed chat. The games went as they usually did when they'd play Among Us; Sapnap would get loud and cut a lot of people off, Karl would stumble over his words when trying to get out of a situation, Quackity was overdoing it with his voice mods, etc. Though George enjoyed those parts and had his fair share of laughs, he especially enjoyed the times where he and Dream would go off on task dates and just dance around each other in hallways of the map. They were playing with proximity chat which meant that they could speak to each other in-game, prompting them to leave the others a few times. 

As he would glance over at chat, he would notice all the DNF shippers comment on how they kept meeting up with each other in-game; he pretended not to see them and avoided addressing them, something his past self has worked hard on doing. 

They were now in a meeting with Punz, Callahan, Awesamdude, and Skeppy dead. George's palms were pooling in sweat as he was, unfortunately, the impostor along with Bad. He had a feeling Dream knew because they weren't together in-game as much as they usually were. 

"It's George, It's George, It's George!" Karl said the second the meeting slid up on their screens.

"What?" George began.

"What do you mean?" Dream chimed in.

"How is it me?" 

Before Karl could answer, Sapnap rolled in, "There's literally no way it's not George. When I was in admin with him and he was acting so sus, I booked it out--"

"What?" George cut him off.

Quackity spoke through his voice mod, his voice on full autotune, "Where was the body?" 

Karl laughed, "It was in MedBay--"

"Wait! MedBay? He literally came out of Electrical as I was about to go in there!" Sapnap yelled.

Over the screaming and yelling between George, Karl, and Sapnap, along with Quackity's autotune voice chiming in now and then, Bad and Dream struggled to hear each other. 

"Okay, shut up you muffin heads, I can't hear Dream." Bad raised his voice.

"Bad can't hear DreAAEaeaeAEm," Quackity sung.

"Shut up, Quackity." George laughed.

Dream chuckled, "No, okay. I think it's Bad." 

"It's so obviously George, what do you mean?" Karl exclaimed. 

"Oh my god, of course, he's not gonna say it's George." Sapnap groaned. 

"It's because we went into Electrical together, Sapnap! If he vented, I would have seen it!" Dream raised his voice.

George grinned and leaned back in his chair, muting himself, he turned to chat, "Dream's lying." 

"I haven't been wrong once when it came to voting out the impostor--"

"I don't care! It's George!" Sapnap was now full-on yelling atop his lungs. 

"It's not me! I was doing a task in Electrical and crossed paths with you on my way out. Am I not allowed to have tasks in Electrical?" George's tone was not at all confident, but his tactic while playing this game was: deny, deny, deny. 

"No, you're not! Cause you're an impostor!" Sapnap rebottled. 

"Oh my god." George leaned back in his seat and lolled his head back before running a hand through his hair. 

"I'm voting Bad." Dream stated, "I'm ninety percent sure it's him. I'm telling you right now, it's not George--cause here's the thing; you can have sus on George, but I have not seen Bad once this entire game." 

"Okay, well I have--" Sapnap began. 

"Thank you, Sapnap," Bad said.

"I'm voting George." Karl and Sapnap simultaneously said. 

There a was brief moment of silence before the votes started rolling in and...it was tied. 

"Quackity, what the fuck!" Sapnap yelled.

He had voted for Bad along with Dream and George. Laughter boomed through the call as Karl and Sapnap continued to berate Quackity. 

"I'm so sorry," Quackity sang-through heavy autotune. 

"You're such a fucking troll." Sapnap huffed.

After a couple more rounds, it was down to Sapnap, Quackity, Dream, and George. He made his way to Navigation where he then bumped into Dream. He hovered his cursor over the kill button and he glanced over at his chat with an eyebrow raised. 

"I can't. I need him to defend me, chat." 

"George." Dream's voice sounded through his headphones. 

George's head snapped to his primary monitor and he unmuted himself in-game, "Dream."

"I know it's you." Dream spoke. 

"It's not." George giggled.

"Listen, you have to kill me." Dream stated.

"I am not doing that, I don't have the ability to." 

"George, I've known it's you from the beginning." 

"Why didn't you say anything then?" 

"Cause I didn't want you to get voted out." 

George laughed as he read the chat, "Chat's calling you a simp."

"I am a simp, but only for George." Dream said, his voice sounding soothing. 

"Stop," He said and quickly added, "I can't kill you." 

"You'll have to. Quackity is cleared, but you can turn it on Sapnap. Kill me, George--"

"I can't--"

"Kill me--" 

George hit the kill button and Dream's character was now dead in front of him, just as Sapnap walked in causing George to explode in laughter. 

"OH MY GOD," Sapnap reported the body. 

Both Sapnap and George began yelling that the other did it while Quackity groaned in annoyance. 

"I hate this," Quackity sighed.

"I'm telling you, Quackity. Sapnap literally killed Dream right in front of me." 

"HE'S FUCKING LYING, QUACKITY!" Sapnap roared.

"Stop yelling at me!" Quackity yelled and when silence fell upon then, he spoke again, "All I know is that George would never kill Dream, Sapnap however--"

The sound of Sapnap hitting his desk sounded through the call, "I honestly hate you so much."

George clicked to vote on Sapnap at the same time that Quackity did which caused Sapnap to get voted out. The screen before George displayed "Victory" and the chaos ensued. 

"LET'S GO," George cheered. 

A few hours had passed and it was now five in the morning for George. He had said his goodbyes to the rest of the boys before turning his attention to the stream. 

"Okay, I'm gonna end the stream here, guys. But before I do that, I have some news: I guess, it's not good news, but it's also not bad, I promise. I'm not gonna be streaming on this account for a month or so, but I will stream on my alt shortly. I hope you can understand. Nothing's wrong, everything's fine, I'm just gonna take a little break from the face cam, and I don't want to stream without face cam on main 'cause I want to provide the best quality for the main stream. So, yeah. Anyway, thank you for watching the stream, and thank you for the donos. BYE!" 

After turning off his stream, he sat back and picked up his phone. His eyes were burning as he went to his Discord app: he figured Dream was most likely going to bed seeing as it was one in the morning, but it wouldn't hurt to call him anyway. Before he could tap on the 'camera' icon, a ring erupted from his phone; Dream. 

"I thought you were going to bed," George said.

"I was watching you end your stream. I like that sweater on you, by the way," Shuffling came from the other end of the line indicating that Dream was most likely in bed. 

"Yeah?" George asked, a small smile forming on his face.

"Yeah, red looks really good on you," His tone was laced with a bit of allurement. 

George looked at his camera and there was a small pause between the two of them before he spoke up, "I'll keep that in mind." 

A breathy chuckle escaped Dream, "I, uh, I can't believe the chat has no idea that you're gonna be in Florida for a month."

George sat up, "I'll tell them when we're fully settled in the house. For now, it'll be a secret."

"Our little secret?" Dream asked. 

"Sure. Anyway, I've got to leave for the airport in less than an hour. Wanna stay on here while I finish packing?" George asked as he scanned his room for his suitcase.

"Do I ever," Dream sarcastically said.

A lot of their calls went like that; one of them would be working on something while the other did their own thing and they'd just sit in silence. A lot of people assumed that they were consistently talking when they'd say they've been on a call for ten hours or so, but it was just them sitting in silence enjoying each other's company. George was so shitty at showing affection, so he did it in the only way he knew how: quality time.

He wanted to work on that, but right now, that's the best he could offer.

"Are you bringing the elephant?" Dream asked.

George furrowed his eyebrows, "How can you see that?" He glanced at his nightstand.

"Uh, I can't, I was just asking if you were bringing it. But it's nice to know--" He broke into a laugh when George facepalmed, "It's nice to know you keep it on your nightstand."

George's cheeks reddened and he avoided looking into the camera.

"It was on my desk, I was moving things around--"

"Yeah, sure. Do you keep it there to think of me before you go to bed?" Dream cooed.

"Fuck off," George scoffed, "This isn't fair. I don't even know why I have my camera on when you never do."

"Well, it's cause I appreciate a good view." Dream said, causing the pink in his cheeks to flare up again, "And you know I do, look at you!"

"Okay, stop." George moved his phone so that his camera was now facing the ceiling instead of him.

He loved compliments, who didn't, but it was different when it came from Dream. It made him so fucking nervous and as much as he hated to admit it, it got him flustered every damn time.

George sighed, "I also want to appreciate a good view."

"Ah, nice try," Dream spoke through laughs, George's favorite sound, "But it would break you, George. So, I'm saving it for a rainy day."

"Time's ticking. I'm about to see all of you tomorrow--wait, I didn't mean--oh no..."

Dream choked, "All of me, huh? You wish."

"Whatever," George rolled his eyes, "And I don't have to keep that thing next to me at night because you're always calling me anyway."

"Which is better, the elephant or my dreamy voice talking you to sleep?" Dream asked only half-joking.

"To be fair, I'd take the elephant right about now." George scoffed out a laugh.

"Well, you won't have much of a choice when you're here," Dream started.

He groaned, "This is gonna be the longest month of my life."

"Do you wanna just share a bed?" Dream jokingly asked.

"Wait, is that not what we're doing?" George asked, trying his hardest to sound serious.

"I mean, do you...if you want to do that, that's fine. I could still keep my office--"

"I'm joking, Dream." George deadpanned.

There was a long moment of silence and George stifled a laugh, but he wasn't really sure how Dream took it.

George didn't fear much in life, but being on Dream's wrong side or genuinely making him mad was up there with the things he avoided for safe measure. He thought back to that one time he pranked Dream by texting his mother introducing himself as "her son's boyfriend"; he went as far as avoiding Dream's consistent calls because he just couldn't face him if/when he was angry.

"Dream?" George called out and after no response, he grabbed his phone and saw that he was still in the call, but he was muted, "Dream!" He laughed and took a few breaths to collect himself, "Drea-Dream," He breathed out and chuckled, "Clay."

Dream unmuted himself and George filled the silence with his broken laughs and multiple 'Sorrys'. When he adjusted his eyes to the screen, he noticed a loading icon where Dream's picture was, indicating that he was turning on his camera: George's breath hitched. His face had never dropped so fast: he was faced with a blank wall, silence still very prominent within the call.

"Dream." George raised his voice, "Say something."

In a swift movement, Dream held up his middle finger, and George's shoulders relaxed as he released a breath he did not realize he was holding.

"I'm back in my hating Dream arc."

"An eye for an eye, George. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice..." Dream trailed off.

George stared blankly at his phone, "Go on."

Dream paused before rasping out, "You don't want to find out."

"Oooh, you're so intimidating, Dream." George teased.

"You're such an idiot," Dream snickered.

They spent the rest of the early AM's talking absolute nonsense, discussing what they'd do when George lands, and there were the occasional banter and harmless flirting, not to mention a plethora of fighting over the most random things.

A yawn rang through George's phone and he glanced over at it from his stuffed suitcase, "Are you tired?"

"Mhm," Dream sighed.

"You can end the call. We'll have a whole month to make up for it." George said as he clipped the safety belt attached to the suitcase to secure his belongings.

"We'll have a whole month to make up for a lot of things, George." Dream mindlessly said.

"Mm, I'm sure." George hummed and turned back to his suitcase, zipping it up.

 _Fuck_ , he thought. This was it. He had finished packing. It was six in the morning and George was about to board his flight in less than two hours. In about twelve hours, he'd physically be with Dream and Sapnap. A stupid smile formed on his face as he took it all in; this was really fucking happening.

"Dream--" Before he could continue his sentence, he realized that Dream was sound asleep.

When he looked at the time after ending the call, it read: 6:09 AM. The taxi would arrive in about twenty minutes, which gave him enough time to fix his hair and pack the last of his things into his black backpack. As he left his bathroom, he looked over at his window where a bit of sunlight peaked through the curtains. He doubted that the sun would shield the brisk air outside, so he grabbed his black corduroy jacket and wore it over his red hoodie. He analyzed himself in the mirror and frowned at his height, he was going to look so short next to Dream. 

He had already said his goodbyes to his parents, so he made his way towards the front door and was welcomed by the taxi driver. Once he was in, he placed his headphones on and the bass of _Goosebumps_ by Travis Scott filled his ears; his and Dream's song, as Dream would always say. The thought made him open the Snapchat application. He doubled-tapped Dream's name and quickly took a photo of his passport: _See you in a bit, idiot._


	3. A Good View

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before the plane takes off, George receives a Snapchat from Dream which sends him into a whirlwind of emotions for the whole duration of the flight.

It was 7:32 AM when George had checked his luggage in and was now headed to a Costa for a coffee. He didn't really drink coffee, but he figured that he needed a little bit of fuel to keep him up until he's in that plane seat. He had an aisle seat, which he didn't necessarily hate, but he had hoped for a window seat.

Once the cup warmed his hand, he sat on a stool and immediately pulled his phone out of his pocket. He hated eating out or doing quite literally anything in public when he was all by himself. It's crazy the contrast that lived within him when it came to talking to people; online, he felt unstoppable. It was so easy for him to meet new people, but put him in a situation where he has to physically walk up to someone and strike up a conversation and he'd mentally check out.

 _Dream was quite the opposite_ , he smiled and hoped that strangers around him thought he found something on his phone funny and that he wasn't just fondly thinking about his platonic friend.

 _Everyone was drawn to him_ , he thought, _it was that alluring essence in his voice, his warm and inviting laugh, the comfort that some of his words brought you. It was his fucking mind. He spoke intellectually, beautifully at that_. George could sit for hours and listen to him talk about his epiphanies and ideas, and he has.

 _What the fuck was he doing_ , he thought. Why was this all coming to the surface now? Right before he was about to meet him? Maybe it was the realization that he was about to meet the person he's admired for years. That must be it, no other reason. He was aware of his deep love for him, but there was nothing to unhash, nothing to figure out.

A voice spoke through the intercom, "Virgin Atlantic Airways departure to Orlando, Florida, flight number 4122, now boarding at Gate 3."

It wasn't until that boarding announcement that George realized he was sat on this stool for a good half-hour zoned out and looking at his idle Twitter timeline. He chose to unrealize because that was unbelievably embarrassing: how do you sit still for a half-hour losing yourself in someone?

As he stood in line before boarding the flight, a call erupted from his phone. The built man in front of George turned around vastly and shot him a glare. He shot him an apologetic look before fishing his phone out of his pocket. To be fair, it was a loud ringer and it was only 8 in the morning. He glanced down at his screen and it displayed a name that even his phone knew all too well at this point.

"Oh my god," He cursed under his breath before answering, ducking his head slightly, " _Yes_ , Dream?"

"George," His voice sounded groggy and hoarse, "Where are you?"

"I'm about to board the plane, I'll snap you when I'm in the air." He quickly said before going to end the call until Dream protested.

"When are you getting here?"

"Around four in the evening," George answered and shuffled forward as the line moved, "I gotta go Clay," He glanced at the hostess.

"One more thing," Dream quickly added.

"Oh my god. Hurry." George sighed.

"Have a safe flight. Love you, I'll see you soon."

George debated saying it back, but there was something about saying those words so freely to Dream. He didn't want to say it because he felt as though saying it now would not mean much. He did love him though, he loved him like best friends are meant to love each other.

But he just couldn't mouth the words, let alone voice it out sincerely without inwardly cringing.

"Thank you, see you soon too." And he ended the call.

See you soon too?

George fought the urge to facepalm because he'd probably look insane to the third person.

As the hostess scanned his ticket and let him through, George wondered why Dream was up at four in the morning, but he figured he probably couldn't sleep. He wanted to let his ego think that he was up from excitement rushing through him, but he probably just couldn't sleep. It hasn't _not_ happened before; Dream could function on the least amount of sleep that George could just never imagine.

He patted the plane before stepping in and spotted his seat pretty quickly. After stuffing his luggage into the overhead cabin, he settled in his seat. Seconds before he could pull his laptop out to edit, a Snapchat notification sounded through his phone. He furrowed his eyebrows and placed his laptop onto the pull-out tray before unlocking his phone.

It was a Snapchat from Dream, probably replying to the one he had sent earlier. He wasn't fazed that it was a red square; Dream had sent him pictures before, just never of himself. So when he went to open it carelessly, almost looking away for a split second to adjust his laptop onto the tray, the corner of his eye caught a figure and his heart skipped a beat: it was a picture of Dream.

A full snapshot of his reflection in the mirror. And George felt his heart almost flatline when he realized that Dream wasn't shielding his face with his phone; his face was staring right at him--his green tender gaze was accompanied by the brightest, lop-sided grin. George's eyes fluttered to his tousled, messy dirty-blonde hair; some strands sticking out in different directions. George's dilated eyes traveled down to the veins that sprung from Dream's knuckles and spidered to his wrist, his fingers were parted as it wrapped itself around his phone. George captured his bottom lip between his teeth as he analyzed his outfit; the loose white shirt that had a few rips at the top hem exposed his defined collarbones. The fabric outlined his firm chest too perfectly for the picture to have been lazily taken. The grey sweatpants were ribbed at the top of thighs, the bathroom counter shielding the rest.

The dryness in his throat caused him to swallow which pressed his lips into a line as he braced himself to look at the text, but not before he did another take at the full image; he hated when Dream was right because he felt broken looking at that. He was paradoxically broken and mended altogether.

His jaw clenched as he forced himself to look at the text and his breath hitched once again; _just in case the view on the plane isn't appreciative enough_.

"Fuck." George breathed out.

"Sir, I'm gonna ask you to briefly turn your phone off." A hostess spoke, breaking him out of thought.

As if a kid caught watching inappropriate stuff on his phone, George nearly threw his phone to the seat behind him.

"Uh, I, yeah. Sorry, I'll, I'm gonna do that. Now." He gulped.

Her eyebrows furrowed but she sent him a warm smile, "Thank you."

Eyes wide and lips pressed in discomfort, he slipped his phone into his pocket. He shut his eyes and leaned back in his seat before taking another deep breath.

Why the _fuck_ was this affecting him as much as it was? Why was his heart racing? Why did he feel as though his lungs had shrunk?

His eyes flew open when he realized he hadn't screenshot the photo. Frantically looking for his phone, he was thankful that it was still displaying Dream. Dream. This was him. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head slightly. He probably looked insane, but he just couldn't believe it. The way the fanart didn't miss much almost triggered George. How? And why? Why didn't he expect him to look this good? Had Dream given him any doubt? No, Dream had given him nothing until now. There was no build-up, no preparation, it was inexplicably unexpected.

He was fucking stunned.

He felt a sense of discomfort that he'd never had before; he always looked at Dream the same and he still did, but now _this_ was piled on top of it. He didn't know how to deal with these new feelings.

He almost appreciated the fact that Dream sent this earlier in his flight, though he felt as though twelve hours was not enough time to recover.

 _What the fuck? Recover_? George inwardly groaned. _Why was there a need to recover_?

Was it jealousy? No, he's felt that before. Envy? Was it wishing that he looked like him? No, that wasn't it. Was it a competition? In some way, yes. It wasn't so much as competing against him as it was competing with those who were in the same position as George, had they had the pleasure of witnessing Dream in its entirety.

The rest of the flight was spent in a pit of inner conflict. Now, it was all happening way too fast. Twelve hours were spent through several trips to the washroom with splashed water on his face, sleep being disturbed by his poisoned thoughts, unhelpful distractions displayed on his laptop, and a lot of fights against the urge to down an entire bottle of wine in hopes to silence it all out.

A voice on the intercom, for the second time this day, snapped him out of his head: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Orlando International Airport. Local time is 4:03 PM. And the temperature 77 degrees Fahrenheit. For your safety and comfort, please remain seated..." George zoned out once again, this time his anxiety was at an all-time high.

 _Oh. My. God_.

He was here. He was about to land. And as he felt the wheels of the plane hit the tarmac, he lost all his senses, numbness swallowing him whole.

He was here. And Dream was most definitely less than 4000 miles away. The ocean between them had been surpassed. There were no roads left to be traveled. Only a few footsteps. He was _footsteps_ away from seeing him.


	4. Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As they meet for the first time, George struggles to decipher the difference in how his mind and actions operate around Dream.

Every step felt heavier than the next as he walked down the corridor that led to the international pick-up. His brain challenged the willingness in his legs to keep walking towards the end of the terminal; the voices around him were muffled by the deafening thoughts running through his head. Dream would be waiting at the end of this endless passageway: he was in between wishing this path would elongate itself somehow, while also hoping that it was nearing its end. Dream would spot him before he could, George knew that because of how familiar he must look to Dream. He only recently found out what Dream looked like and he was still sort of processing it.

He realized he was nearing the end when he noticed the setting sun peer through the tall windows of the airport. _This was it_. Now, he scanned. Scanned for a face that should be familiar, but wasn't. He felt weak, which he partially blamed on the sleep-deprivation knowing damn well that his thoughts were fully responsible for the damage to his current state.

Every second spent looking for Dream sped up his heart rate. He didn't want to be dramatic, but he genuinely felt like he was going to pass out. It seemed as if everything around him had fastened in pace; people were walking a lot faster, voices zipped in and out of his ears, and there was this sudden relentless buzzing that began to get louder with every turn he made. 

He looked lost, he felt lost. Why did he suddenly forget how to walk? He had never experienced a panic attack and he knew this wasn't that, but he felt stuck in this one spot. In the middle of this terminal, he was looking around for help like a lost child. He felt his cheeks redden as an uncomfortable warmth snaked itself around his body.

The buzzing was getting louder. The voices around him started making less and less sense. His vision started to blur.

"Geoooooorge," An all-too-familiar voice sounded from his right.

He turned and about ten feet away from him stood Dream. There was a nanosecond where time felt like it genuinely slowed down for the both of them. In the sea of people, their vision tunneled to each other.

 _At the moment_ , George caught his breath and relished at the sight before him, the threatening voices he'd been hearing for the past twelve hours were exonerated. With one sincere inviting smile from Dream, George's mind was at ease.

"Clay," He spoke under his breath.

 _At that moment_ , George had completely forgotten about his calculated moves to approach Dream. The ground beneath him blurred as he felt a surge of adrenaline rush through him; he hadn't realized how fast he was running towards Dream until the only option was to leap at him with his arms aiming to hook themselves around his neck for support. Dream lifted him up with ease and supported his weight by locking his arms under George's thighs. The pace at which George had run at him caused him to stumble back a little, but he steadied his footing until they were both locked in an embrace that held a million muted words.

"Oh my god," They both uttered through a breathy laugh, disbelief clear in their tone.

George smiled as he felt both of their shoulders relax simultaneously and his smile only grew wider when Dream began swaying them gently. He could feel Dream's soft laugh against the nape of his neck, which caused him to tighten his arms around him.

George shifted his head so that his lips were a little closer to Dream's ear, "I was so lost, how did you find me?" 

"I'd recognize that red hoodie anywhere," His left shoulder warmed as Dream spoke into it, causing a small shiver to run down his spine.

This snapped him out of their moment; _was this too much?_ George immediately unclasped his arms from around Dream's neck at the same time Dream released his hold on him. Upon breaking away, George was faced with another conflict, one that was too late to debate but anxiously rested in his mind regardless.

Letting go of Dream meant that he would no longer be able to avoid eye contact, but holding onto him made him feel weird inside. He didn't know why, maybe because physical affections were never really his thing, but also because he wasn't used to this. He'd never been this intimate with his friends he'd known for years, so how would it be any easier with someone he just now physically met?

But at the moment they locked eyes for the first time, it came so naturally. He had never felt more free and comfortable to ditch his suitcase in the middle of the terminal to run straight into an unfamiliar embrace.

"Are you alright? You look exhausted, George." Dream broke him out of thought.

George had just then realized that his eyes were zoned out on the scene happening behind Dream. He reluctantly broke his gaze from the group of strangers conversing and looked up at his best friend; the way he had to lift his chin up slightly to properly look into his eyes made him feel so small. His small frame came apparent to him as he stood in front of Dream who was built proportionally bigger than he. 

"I'm tired, I guess." George found himself saying, his voice quiet and substanceless. 

What was he even meant to say? Where would he start? He had so many things to tell him but he couldn't get any words out because he was standing right in front of him, less than an arm's reach away from _physically_ touching him. And it didn't help that Dream had the upper hand in looking down at him, especially with those faded emerald eyes.

"I guess it's probably weird seeing me face to face," Dream brought his hand to the back of his head in a sheepish manner.

George's eyes widened slightly in a sarcastic way, "You guess?"

"To be fair, I sent you a picture so that you wouldn't have to be too overwhelmed when you finally did see me." Dream shrugged.

"Overwhelmed?" George derided, "You would say that, you egotistical maniac."

Dream laughed and shoved him lightly before pulling him back in for a side hug, "You're even more annoying in real life."

George wanted to throw a paper bag over his face because of how red he probably looked. He was just so fucking uncomfortable. It wasn't because of Dream or how he made him feel, but it was because of how his brain decided to perceive this moment.

When they pulled away after the brief hug, George cleared his throat, "Where's Nick?"

Dream jutted his thumb behind him, "He's bringing the car 'round. We were just waiting in the parking lot."

 _He communicated with his hands a lot_ , George realized in the few minutes that elapsed between them.

"We should probably grab your suitcase from the ground." Dream stifled a laugh as he nodded his head to the abandoned suitcase.

George looked back and let out a small laugh, "Fuck, that's embarrassing."

"A little bit, but it was also kind of adorable," Dream said with ease as he brushed past George to retrieve the suitcase before making his way back to him.

Dream had a quizzical look on his face as he looked over at George. He felt several questions resting on the tip of Dream's tongue, but he knew he was considerate enough to not press.

The sound of two suitcases colliding caused George to break away from Dream's gaze: it's the background noise of the airport that reminded George of the fact this wasn't just his and Dream's world. Though it was hard not to slip back into it when Dream was now so easily accessible.

Dream nudged his arm with his elbow, "C'mon. Nick won't shut up about seeing you."

George laughed, "What?"

They walked side by side, something George was now registering in his mind as something that would be happening quite a lot during his time here. The things he felt he had to work hard to adjust to felt so futile, but it was all happening so fast. Going into this felt like learning how to ride a bike for the first time: except, he wasn't coaxed into taking the training wheels off, they were ripped from underneath him leaving him completely dumbfounded with every event that was to take place as he struggled to peddle forward.

"I'm not even joking. We got into a screaming match about who got to see you first," Dream said, shaking his head as he looked ahead and maneuvered his way around people. 

George followed closely, and somewhat, behind him. Dream was tall and sported long legs therefore he covered the area at a quicker pace.

"What was your reason for being the chosen one then?" George asked, amused at the image he created in his head of Sapnap and Dream yelling at each other on who _deserved_ to see him first.

As they made their way to Sapnap, George was somewhat thankful that he didn't have to look Dream directly in the eyes while talking to him. He had to ease into it and he was still getting accustomed to hearing his voice so clearly. So close to him.

"Oh, come on. As if _I_ need a reason." Dream said pompously.

They continued to walk as silence fell between them; George couldn't decide whether or not this was a comfortable one. They'd both gone pensive, that's all he knew. He was thankful to note that he wasn't the only one who had a million thoughts running through his head. He stole a glance at Dream whose eyebrows were knitted together as he looked in deep thought. George wondered what he was thinking about. 

"GEORGE!" A voice bellowed from a few feet ahead. 

George's head turned to the direction of Sapnap's familiar voice and he broke out in a grin. The two boys walked towards each other, the happiness on their faces as clear as day.

"It's so good to see you, Georgieee," Sapnap cooed as they both locked themselves into a hug. 

George couldn't help but note the obvious difference in the embrace; not only in the emotional weight it carried but the physical positioning of it all. The hug took no physical effort, it was just about the most casual and mindless thing George had to physically do today. 

Nothing was funny, but they were just filled with giddiness as they stayed in each other's arms giggling like idiots. Dream took this time to plop George's luggage into the trunk of Sapnap's dark blue Subaru. 

"It's good to see you too, _Nicholas_. " George said as he pulled away from the hug. 

George was beyond grateful for his presence as it alleviated some stress from his mind. Having Sapnap's and Dream's banter fill the thirty-minute car ride to their house liberated George from his intruding thoughts. He would occasionally catch a glimpse of the sky from his window; the way it was slowly turning from a darker shade of what he assumed was red mixed with orange, to a dark blue as the night started to settle in. The fresh air rolling through Dream's ajar window would flow through his hair, causing him to feel like he could finally breathe a little. 

George wondered how the rest of the night would unravel, but for now, he was content with being in the backseat as he admired this proximity to his friends that he never imagined would be possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the way i _struggled_ to write this chapter is sickening luv 💅  
> also, the hug was entirely inspired by this tiktok im- https://t.co/uX1kLOK1QL?amp=1


	5. Don't Think Too Much

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George makes it his mission to avoid Dream like the plague until it all catches up to him.

They arrived at the house a little after 5:00 PM; Sapnap unloaded the luggage as Dream walked George towards the entrance. Sapnap followed closely behind as he spoke to Dream about something that George couldn't quite catch: he was too busy analyzing his surroundings.

It was a modest house at the end of a street in a suburb. He took note of the plethora of trees covering the front yard that wasn't too spacey, just about the right size. As Dream unlocked the front door and let him through, George realized that the previous statement he'd made on space could be said about the whole house. The lighting was soft, the walls weren't too high where it made one feel lonely, and all the furniture resembled a soft or dark brown. It was an open floor plan living area; the living room was the first thing he saw, there were a few paintings on the walls and George just _knew_ this shit came with the house. There was no way he could picture a pair of fresh 20-year-olds intentionally buying abstract paintings to hang up.

On his first impression from just standing in the foyer, he was surprised to see that it didn't resemble a frat house. He knew Dream to be a little classier than that, but ultimately, they were still young men. He also noticed how impeccably clean and put-together the house was; suspiciously clean almost.

A firm hand on his shoulder broke him from his thoughts. As he glanced at the hand and immediately recognized it as Dream's, he lifted his chin up to look up at him expectantly. 

"Would you like a _humbling_ tour?" He tried to joke but his eyes went soft when they looked down at George's facial features.

"Mhm—yeah. Let's do it." George forced a smile.

"Sap, are you...?" Dream retrieved his hand from George's shoulder and glanced at his friend. 

George turned around as he wondered the same thing, but the younger waved them off as he looked up from his phone. 

"I gotta take this call, I'll be there in a sec." He quickly said before walking off the front porch.

 _For fuck's sake, Sapnap._ George mentally cursed as he let Dream walk ahead. The car ride was so peaceful; he wanted to go back to that seat, admiring his mates as they spoke so freely with each other. He wanted to go back to admiring Dream as he jokingly bullied Sapnap for his bad driving. He liked his company, _God_ , he was so happy to be here, so he didn't understand why he felt uneasy as he and Dream wandered through the house alone, together. 

He shouldn't feel like this--he _can't_ feel like this. This wasn't some stranger, this was his best friend. 

_Get out of your head,_ George wanted to let out a groan as frustration encased him. 

"And this is you," They had finally reached the last bedroom at the end of a rather long hallway. 

This hallway held three rooms, they were decently spaced. He hated himself for mentally noting how many steps it took from Dream's room to his. The living room separated two wings of the house and _of course,_ Sapnap's room had to be in the opposite wing. 

George almost stepped in but felt as though he had to ask permission to which caused a small chuckle to escape Dream. 

"After you," He motioned to the room with his hand. 

"Thanks." George clipped and walked in. 

It was a respectably sized room, not that George really cared but he calculated a 10x10 area where a double-sized bed sat in the middle with an armchair next to a patio door that led to the garden. 

"I didn't think to decorate--I mean, well, I didn't think you'd really care. It was my stream room, so there were some posters up, but I took them down and put them in my room." Dream rambled, which George couldn't help but smile at. 

He was thankful that his back was faced to him as he overlooked the garden from the glass doors. His silence prompted Dream to carry on with explanations; the tone in his voice seemed as though he felt the need to justify everything George looked at. 

"And, obviously, if you need to stream you can go into my room and I'll leave, give you privacy." 

George wanted to ease his anxiety, but he himself was at a crossroads in his mind so he was in no position to help him out. Instead, he settled for a subject change--something he was quite good at. 

"I like the garden." He stated and looked over his shoulder briefly, forcing another smile. 

Dream seemed to return the gesture, his smile weak, but sincere, "The backyard." 

George's smile dropped as he rolled his eyes, " _The backyard._ " He mimicked his American accent before fully turning to face him. 

Dream laughed through his nose and shook his head, "That's what it is." 

"We _are_ in America, so I'll give you that one." George held up his hands, feigning defense. 

Another silence passed them as George looked over things to occupy his mind with: _where the fuck was Sapnap?_

"You should test out the bed," Dream offered. 

George knew something was off when Dream had completely missed out on the opportunity of making a flirtatious joke about 'testing out the bed'. 

George pointed his finger to the bed and raised an eyebrow as Dream nodded, his smile widening at how awkward this obviously was. They were both aware, it was an unspoken agreement, but there was this heaviness in the air that pulled them from addressing it so openly with each other. 

He walked over to the bed and plopped down, digging his palms into the mattress to get a good feel. He could feel Dream's eyes on him as he kept his gaze focused on the way the fabric of the duvet cover shaped itself around his pale skin. 

"Comfy." George giggled nervously as he looked up at Dream who had yet to take his eyes off him. 

Sitting down didn't help the churn in his stomach he got from the height difference between them. Even from a couple of feet away, Dream stood tall. Even in the obvious anxiousness that emitted from his demeanor, he looked intimidating. 

George lifted his gaze from the bed and diverted it towards Dream; their eyes locked, the air got heavier, and the tension between them thickened. _What the fuck was going on?_

He noticed how Dream's features hardened, how his adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed as he focused on George, how his collarbones poked through the hem of his shirt as he inhaled slowly and deeply. George had no idea how he looked to him, but from what he felt, he assumed Dream took note of how his grip on the duvet cover tightened, how his lips parted slightly with the flutter of his eyes. And if he were to assume that he looked a little deeper, he'd notice how his pupils dilated due to the surge of dopamine that coursed through his brain at that very moment. 

Either time had genuinely slowed down or George was so sure that they were standing in this deafening silence for an unreasonable amount of time. 

"Don't the bare walls make you feel like you're in a fucking asylum?" Sapnap's voice spoke from the doorway. 

The way it made both of them jump slightly caused Sapnap to look at them in a quizzical manner. 

"Are y'all good?" Sapnap asked, a small laugh emitting him. 

After getting a mere mumble from the both of them, he carried on speaking, "I told Clay to leave the posters up,"

"It's his room, he can decorate it however he wants." Dream sounded like he had found his voice again as he shot a glare to Sapnap. 

"He's here for a _month_ , dumbass." Sapnap shot back. 

"I _am_ here for a month," George started as he stood up, "Which is also why I don't care how the room looks, posters or not. You guys are worrying too much,"

"Tell that to him. I was ready to give you the couch, maybe a blanket and a pillow if you deserved it enough." Sapnap jokingly said as he looked at George. 

"I was ready to give _your_ room to George and keep both of my rooms," Dream chimed in. 

George laughed as offense washed over Sapnap's face, "What the fuck? Where would I sleep?" 

"Sounds like a 'you' problem, buddy." Dream said as he brushed past George and patted Sapnap's back on his way out. 

"I literally pay rent!" Sapnap began the infamous back and forth that would last them a few minutes. 

George found it amusing for now because it derived him from thinking too much about what had just happened before Sapnap interrupted them. 

The rest of the evening was spent filled with laughter, newfound inside jokes, playful banter, and George bullying Sapnap about his girlfriend. 

"Okay, but, how did I not know about this?" George said, shocked but entertained. 

"It's been like a solid month or two, as well." Dream snickered as he stood up from his chair. 

They had just wrapped up dinner which consisted of lamb, sauteed onions, and mashed potatoes--courtesy of Dream's cooking. 

"You didn't _not_ know. Remember the whole girlfriend arc talk on stream the other day?" Sapnap chuckled. 

"I was _joking_. I thought you were too," George caught Dream cleaning up the table in the corner of his eyes. 

"I didn't deny it." Sapnap raised a finger. 

George refrained from saying: _Dream and I don't deny our made-up relationship either, but that didn't mean it was real_ , and when he felt eyes on him, he caught Dream's glance, which they quickly broke from the realization that they'd both probably thought the same thing. 

"Well, congratulations, I guess." George stood up from his chair as did Sapnap. 

"Aw, don't worry George, we can still cuddle?" Sapnap cooed.

"No," George nonchalantly declined as he playfully pushed past him.

He liked the layout of the house; how the kitchen, dining room, and living room were all connected. It felt homey. 

George didn't understand why he was making his way to the kitchen as he'd been trying to avoid being alone with Dream the whole night, but he felt bad for not contributing to the dinner in the slightest. He realized he was the guest and that they had to treat him, but Dream cooked this meal for him so the least he could do was help with the clean-up. Sapnap followed closely behind George as they both filed into the kitchen. 

Sapnap leaned against a counter as his eyes remained glued to his phone causing Dream to roll his eyes at him, "Your help is always so greatly appreciated." 

"What?" Sapnap mindlessly asked as he tore his gaze away from his phone and looked at the dishes, "I'm not doing that shit, that's child labour."

"You're twenty years old." George and Dream chorused.

"To be fair, mentally he's, like, twelve so." Dream went to open the tap until he noticed George stood next to him.

"I can help," He offered. 

Dream smiled warmly, "I wash, you dry?" He nudged the cloth to George, who only lightly pushed it back towards him. 

"I don't know where things go. I'll wash,"

"Fair enough," Dream stepped back and let George shuffle in front of him to where he previously stood. 

The running water and occasional _clinks_ of cutlery filled the silence that had fallen between the three of them. George would occasionally duck his head slightly as Dream would reach over him to file the cups into the cupboard above the sink. 

"Uh, guys?" Sapnap asked from behind them. 

Dream opened the cupboard above George, a dry plate firmly in his hand, "Watch your head," He warned and looked over his shoulder at Sapnap, "What?" 

"Karl and Alex wanna visit." Sapnap sheepishly said.

Dream closed the cupboard a little louder than expected as the news surprised him, "Wait, what?"

George turned around and furrowed his eyebrows, "Doesn't Quackity live in Mexico?"

"He's visiting Karl in North Carolina right now, so, they're not too far from us..." Dream mused as he grabbed a plate from George's idle hands before turning his back to them. 

"Do I tell them they can or...?" Sapnap awaited Dream's answer, his eyes trailing to George.

Something about Dream's aura had shifted; it went from calm to tense in a flash of a second. It definitely wasn't a question of whether or not Dream liked Karl and Alex, so what was it? George wondered as both he and Sapnap looked at each other knowingly aware of the shift in Dream's demeanor. 

"Uhm," Dream began, his back still to George and Sapnap. 

George shrugged at Sapnap and returned to the dishes as the three of them once again stood in a brief silence. 

"How long are they planning to stay for? We're already a full house." Dream stated, sounding distant. 

"I don't know, I'll ask," Sapnap said before returning to his phone. 

"Is that okay with you?" Dream asked George lowly, the tone of his voice initiating a conversation that was meant to stay within their range. 

"Me?" George asked, "I don't care. I wouldn't mind seeing them." 

Dream took in a deep breath and nodded: no other words were said. 

"For a weekend," Sapnap reported shortly after, "Next weekend." 

Dream agreed, only after getting George's confirmation, and they carried on with the dishes. Sapnap left the two of them in the kitchen shortly after stating that he was going to call Karl to let him know. 

As George was washing the last dish, he felt himself get lightheaded. He knew something was wrong when he had to drop the sponge to grip the counter in order to steady himself. He felt the alleviated weight of the pan in his other hand as Dream took it from his hold. 

"George?" He placed a careful hand on his shoulder as he peered down at him, "What's wrong?"

He had shut his eyes and hung his head low, "I think I need to--I think I gotta take a shower or something,"

"Yeah, go. I got this," Dream said quietly, "Do you need, do you want me to--"

George shook his head and looked up, recollecting himself the best he could, "I got it. Thank you."

The distance traveled from the kitchen to his bedroom was barely processed. The last time he felt this out of it was when he was in UNI: he had been awake and drowning in coursework for forty-eight hours. A few hours into the third day, his housemate found him passed out on the bathroom floor from pure exhaustion. 

George had a really bad habit of thinking his body could handle a lot more than it should, which usually got him in the worse kinds of situations. Some situations holding contexts more concerning and dire than others.

After he gathered some fresh clothes, he decided that a shower would do him good. He just needed to freshen up and clear his head. The way the warm water cascaded down his bare skin and eased his tensed muscles caused him to loll his head back as pure bliss overtook his senses. He spent a good ten minutes relishing in the warmth but were it his home, he would've been in there for an extra fifteen. After drying himself off and mindlessly throwing on his grey sweats and a plain t-shirt, he walked over to the fogged-up mirror that blurred his reflection. He messed around with his wet hair until he had gotten most of the drops out. He fixed the hem of his loose navy blue shirt as he exited the bathroom and made his way to his bedroom. 

Before he could close the door behind him, a figure sat in his armchair caused him to jump. 

"What _the fuck_ , Dream?" His hand flew to where he felt his heart beating out of his chest. 

"I'm sorry," Dream's eyes widened as he straightened his posture in the chair, "I just wanted to check on you." 

"It's fine, you just scared the shit out of me." George chuckled nervously before realization hit that Dream was just _sat_ in his room, "Are you...okay?"

"I think I should be asking _you_ that." Dream laughed lightly. 

"I'm...good. Somewhat," He scrunched up his nose causing a small smile to form on his friend's face.

"Good, good. I'm glad." 

George noticed how Dream was consistently tapping the edge of his phone on his thigh as his eyes were fixated on the ground and the sight immediately brought him back to the discord call that happened in late May last year when Dream was recovering from a breakup. 

_"I'm here if you wanna talk about it. Whenever." George said, choosing his words carefully._

_"Thanks." His voice was cold, distant._

_A consistent tap began from the other end of the line and George furrowed his eyebrows. He waited on it to stop, thinking Dream was just fixing something at his desk, but the silence never came._

_"Dream?" He asked._

_The tapping continued._

_"Dream." He raised his voice._

_"What?"_

_"What are you doing?"_

_The tapping stopped, "Nothing."_

_"You were hitting something."_

_"Sorry, I was...tapping my phone against my desk."_

_"You don't have to be sorry, I was just wondering what it was."_

_"Okay."_

_"Obviously, if it helps you, like, think, or something--"_

_"It doesn't. It makes it harder for me to think. This tic is like, my head trying to fight off what I'm thinking when all I'm trying to do is understand...the things that I'm thinking...if that makes sense?"_

_"Yeah, I think it does."_

_"Can you do me favour?"_

_"Yeah,"_

_"If you catch me doing it, call me out on it because it drives me fucking insane, but I can never seem to stop myself."_

George walked over to where Dream sat, reached for his phone mid-tap, and slowly took it from his hand. Dream's head snapped up to look at him and a weird sensation rushed through his chest as he realized this was the first time he'd seen Dream from this angle. His chin inclined upwards, lips slightly parted in relief as George's action rescued him from his thoughts. George dismissed this weird feeling because for once, Dream clearly needed his emotional support. For the first time today, he could afford to silence his thoughts. 

"Thank you." Dream breathed out. 

George nodded and placed the phone on his nightstand. He lightly leaned against the bed, not fully sitting, not exactly standing, with his palms pressed in the duvet covers for support. He couldn't help but notice how nicely the overhead lighting in the garden complemented his features; it brought out the darker shade of brown in Dream's hair. He wondered how the color of his hair changed from chestnut brown to a near dirty blonde but had looked completely different in the picture he had sent him. Even after seeing Dream face to face, he felt like he was still discovering new aspects of his physical attributes as time passed between them. 

"George," Dream said at the same time that George said his name, "Sorry, you can go first."

"Honestly, I think you should." 

Dream leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he took in a deep breath, "Did I do..." He looked up at him, their eyes locked, "Did I do something? Or said something? Anything that threw you off?"

George's eyebrows knitted together, "You didn't." 

"But I'm not imagining these things, right? You've been weird _all day_ ," Dream's eyes darted as he searched George's face for an answer. 

"I've been weird? You have also been weird _,_ " George frowned. 

"I've been weird 'cause _you've_ been weird." Dream wanted to raise his voice, George could tell from the strain in his voice.

George bit his lip as he racked his brain for a way to structuralize his words, "Dream, we spent our entire friendship online and then all of the sudden, we're thrown into the same room--I'm bound to have a hard time adjusting to this." He motioned between the two of them. 

"Yeah, I get it." Dream seemed to have gone pensive as he broke eye contact with George. 

"We're just really close, you know? And I think the fear of messing that up actually caused me to mess things up." George ran a hand through his hair out of small frustration. 

Having to talk about his feelings made him inwardly gag, but if it meant that Dream got some answers, he would do it. Although, this conversation started to feel like it wasn't just to alleviate some stress from Dream's mind, but also from their relationship that had gone to utter shit over the course of a few hours. 

Dream blinked before his eyes darted to the ground then back up at George as he sat back in his seat and rested his arms on the armrest, "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah," 

"Did you hear me?" George cocked an eyebrow and Dream sighed, "When I told you I was scared."

George was lost for a moment as he tried to rack his brain for the memory that Dream was referring to and as he was about to give up, a frail and tired voice resurfaced in his mind, _'I'm scared, George'._

"Shit," George's breath hitched, "I thought I dreamt it." 

Dream gave him a half-smile, "It's okay, you were like, half asleep anyway."

"What was it?" George asked after silence had washed over them. 

"What?"

"The thing you were scared of," 

"Exactly what's been happening all evening." Dream breathed out as if he had finally gotten the one thing that's been bothering him this entire time, off his chest. 

George's shoulders relaxed at the sight of seeing _Dream_ relaxed; it's funny how that seemed to happen a lot between them. The way they fed off of each other's energy, losing themselves in it--it explained everything that had happened today: all the poisoned thoughts and all the tension--they weren't able to get out of it because they were both fuelling it. 

George also took note of how easy it was for him to walk into this conversation: the tension that was there all evening had somehow dissipated. 

"The way I get in my head sometimes ruins a lot of things for me," George admitted and looked at the ground, "I'm just not as open as you are. When it comes to confronting things that I feel deeply...it's just...a fucking process, Clay."

He knew that he knew, which is why he felt comfortable admitting it. At that moment, George's mind was at ease; this person he'd been avoiding all evening was no longer tainted with his toxic thoughts. 

Dream nodded slowly, "I was in my head about not knowing how to...act around you...and it drove me fucking insane because you're _George,_ you're my best friend. I was thinking about how we're thinking too much when we shouldn't be. Then I realized that I was thinking about it instead of talking about it with you, which is what we should have done the second we started feeling off. Our whole relationship is built on communication when you really think about it." 

"We're kinda gone without it," George nodded in agreement. 

"Is that why you haven't slept, by the way? All the thinking?" Dream frowned as he analyzed his features once again. 

"Sort of. Is that why _you_ called me at four in the morning?" George rebottled. 

"Yes." 

He felt as though every breath he took from this point on cleared him of the noxious thoughts that swarmed his mind since he boarded that plane. 

"I'm sorry, I probably caused all this tension." George rested the side of his face onto his palm as he looked at Dream apologetically. 

Dream laughed, "You know, George, when I imagined there being tension between us, this is not what I had in mind."

"Shut up, you idiot." George immediately rolled his eyes as Dream broke into a wheeze. 

He couldn't explain how a simple and small conversation had fixed a problem that was on the verge of pretty much ruining his life, not to be dramatic. 

Once Dream had entered George's room that night, he was not caught leaving it until next morning. Both of them had been craving sleep after admitting to each other that they had not slept on the account of their anxiety regarding the meetup. 

A few hours ago, that room was filled with so much tension it made them sick to their stomach, but now it was filled with everything that encapsulated their little heaven. All those long hours spent on discord calls had been brought to life and neither of them would ever be able to explain what that felt like, nor did they want to. 

Their throats turned dry from the non-stop chatter about everything and nothing; George made fun of the way Dream flexed a little too hard in the Snapchat he sent, Dream poked fun at him for wearing that red hoodie because George _knew_ he would comment on it--alongside small weightless talks: the coffee George had, the way Dream had woken Sapnap up at six in the morning to clean, and whatever Dream had concocted for breakfast. 

It was around 12:10 AM when they started to feel themselves drift off to sleep; George was laying on his side, his cheek resting in his palm as he had his back to Dream. A few inches away from George laid Dream, the back of his head cupped by his hand as he laid on his back. The two of them had been silent for a few minutes, but they were still semi-awake as they both smiled like idiots at the fact that they had made a fucking circus out of today. 

George went to bed that night feeling at peace with himself and most importantly, with Dream. The entire duration of George avoiding him could have been fixed if he had just listened to what his entire being was begging for; Dream. He was right in saying that their friendship rode on communication, that's all there was to it; _don't think too hard, just talk about it._

_Surely, it couldn't go wrong from this point on._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am insanely sleep deprived so if there are grammatical errors or anything like that, i am so very sorry lmao. i will re-edit when the my energy has been replenished. && thank u so much for the love x  
> i can't wait to write more and further develop their relationship. letsaagooo.


	6. I'd Like It Better Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream gets a little jealous, George gets a little flustered, and Sapnap wants to get a little drunk.

Bright rays of sunlight peeked in the room at around 10:15 AM. A single ray of light hit George's fluttering eyelids as consciousness rose in him; he felt groggy and tired, but a lot more awake than he had yesterday. He lazily lifted the back of his hand to shield the sun from his eyes as he squinted. Before he could prop himself up, he felt a weight on his other arm and realization hit him; he had fallen asleep with Dream next to him. He wondered if their limbs had bumped throughout the night, but he dismissed the thought immediately: if it had happened, he would have noticed it, felt it, even in sleep.

He glanced to his right, where he had last seen Dream, but the weight he assumed to be Dream was actually a ball of dark grey fluff. A small gasp escaped him as he realized it was Patches. He was so wrapped up in his own head that he hadn't bothered asking of her whereabouts yesterday. And George noted that for two men who treated their pet like it was their child, Sapnap and Dream surely did forget to mention her as well.

"Where have you been hiding?" George spoke quietly, trying his best to not wake Dream.

Patches moved from her position against Dream's back, which faced George, and she walked around the small space between their bodies until hopping onto George's stomach. He propped himself up with his elbows and caressed her head which caused her to emit a few purrs.

"She likes you," A voice spoke from beside him.

George glanced at Dream who had now turned to face him as he laid on his side: sleep was still clear in his voice, his fringe covered his semi-opened eyes and his lips seemed a lot fuller.

He playfully rolled his eyes at him, "Of course she does."

Dream's own hand found its way to Patches as they began showering her with affection. She moved from George and immediately camped on Dream's lap.

"But she likes me better." Dream sang. 

They stayed in bed until noon. A growl from Dream's stomach indicated that they should probably go out and eat something. On their way out of the bedroom with Dream in the lead, as George followed closely behind, they could hear Sapnap's cries of frustration from down the hallway. 

Dream plopped down next to Sapnap and George laid down on the long part of the couch before Sapnap looked at them with a smirk on his face.

"Did you guys just fuck or something?"

George burst out laughing, his face red from the initial comment.

"WHAT?" Dream exclaimed, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Sapnap chuckled, "I'm just saying. I checked your room this morning and you weren't in there," He looked down at his leg when he felt something brush up against it, "Oh, hello baby." He smiled down at Patches.

"Did you feed her?" Dream asked, changing the subject.

"Yes. Now the question is--" Sapnap aimed the gun in the game at his opponent, but failed miserably as the three of them watched his body fall back after getting shot.

" _Awh_ , unlucky," George said insensibly. 

"What are we gonna eat?" Dream finished Sapnap's sentence that had been cut off from the game.

"I don't know, but I'm starving, daddy," Sapnap whined.

Dream laughed through his nose, shaking his head.

George mindlessly caressed Patches as his arm hung off the couch, "Nick's in his sexual arc?"

"I'm in my hungry arc." Sapnap groaned.

"We could go get lunch somewhere," Dream spitballed, "I mean I could make breakfast, but I don't really want to."

"Well, I mean, dinner was pretty good," George said as he sat up from his spot.

"Which is surprising since he never actually cooks," Sapnap laughed but it was cut short as he received a look from Dream.

George couldn't see, but he imagined he wasn't the happiest about that getting out, so he pressed, "What do you mean?"

Sapnap looked at George then back at Dream as a menacing smirk formed on his face, "He only made dinner 'cause you were here."

"Okay--" Dream began, but George was already on it.

"Aw, _Dweam_ ," He said, poking fun at him, "Were you trying to _impress_ me with your cooking skills?"

"Pick your head up simp king, your crown is falling," Sapnap added.

"I'm gonna go get ready," Dream stood up vastly and walked to his room with the sound of his friend's relentlessly teasing him.

George couldn't see his face, but he knew Dream was smiling about it. After going to his room and getting changed, they climbed into Dream's black truck. Dream didn't like buying expensive things for himself, but he did invest, _cause he was smart like that,_ George thought, only half-admirably.

On the way to the Millenia, as Sapnap and Dream referred to the shopping center, George noticed how hot it had gotten. The morning wasn't too bad, but that may also be because the house had AC, something George was not accustomed to at all. As he sat in the front seat, he found himself overheating. The sun was blaring through the windshield and he felt like he was melting in his seat.

The small monitor that displayed the navigation, as well as the temperature, informed George that it was currently 88 degrees. 

_You must be joking,_ George thought as he glanced at Dream and Sapnap who seemed as comfortable as ever, just having chats, _they're psychopaths if this weather didn't bother them in the slightest bit._

"You're insane for wearing a hoodie in this weather, George," Sapnap said as they sat at the table in the quaint Italian restaurant.

Dream and George were sat opposite of Sapnap, leaving an empty seat next to the younger at the four-seater table.

"I didn't think it'd be this hot. How do you survive in this?" George groaned in annoyance as the heat suffocated his upper body.

"By not wearing a hoodie. Just take it off." Dream chuckled.

"I...can't." He said through gritted teeth.

"You're not wearing a shirt underneath," Sapnap concluded as he rolled his eyes.

George sat back in his chair with a huff, "I didn't pack any shirts other than the one I wore to bed last night."

"You came to Florida in the month of April with a suitcase full of _jeans and hoodies_?" Sapnap grabbed the menu, "You really are dumber than you look."

George cocked his head to the side and crossed his arms over his chest, "Yeah, I've spent so much time around you, it's starting to wear off on me."

"Boys," Dream warned with a light laugh.

"Good afternoon gentlemen, can I take your order?" The waitress kindly chimed in.

As she jotted down Sapnap's and Dream's order, her eyes would occasionally flicker to George, who also found himself looking at her. She smiled sweetly at him and he returned the favour; her rosy cheeks and soft lips had George momentarily entranced. Until he felt Dream's arm on the back of his seat—his hand dangling at the edge of the backrest as his thumb ever so slightly brushed against George's shoulder. Before he was able to react, he noticed the waitress's eyes flicker to Dream's; her smile faded only slightly before she returned her attention to George.

"And what will you have?" This time, her eyes remained fixed on her notepad.

The waitress dismissed herself to the kitchen and George stifled a laugh at what had just happened; could he assume that the waitress made Dream jealous?

He could still feel Dream's arm against his shoulder blades and he allowed himself to sit further into his seat, almost to fully press himself against his arm. In the corner of his eyes, he saw Dream's hand shift and as he glanced at him, he felt the other's knuckles caress his arm rhythmically slow.

This entire time he was complaining about the heat, but the warmth that radiated through his body as Dream continued to subtly brush his knuckles against his arm was different; this warmth, he was completely okay with.

The boys wrapped up lunch around 1:45 PM and they all sat back in their chairs feeling extremely full.

Sapnap glanced at his phone, "My girl's here."

"Like _here,_ here?" Dream asked as he took a sip of his water.

Dream had only taken his arm off of George's chair to eat, but as he placed the water back down onto the table, his arm was back to where it was prior to the meal. This time, George inched a little closer to Dream, which caused the younger to grip the edge of George's seat to pull him in closer until their sides were fully pressed and resting against one another.

"Yeah, I might have to ditch you guys," Sapnap pursed his lips. 

George felt relieved when he realized that Sapnap hadn't heard the scrape his chair made against the ground when Dream pulled him in. His forearm was flush against George's arm and he didn't know if it was the weather or the position he was in, but he found himself spreading his legs to release discomfort until he felt his knee bump against the other's.

"That's fine," Dream said and lightly poked George's side, "I could take you home so you don't overheat."

Before George could answer him, Sapnap objected, "I actually kinda need you to stick around 'cause I'll need a ride back home."

"She can't drive you back?" Dream furrowed his eyebrows.

Sapnap shook his head before looking at him pleadingly, "Dude, please."

"I guess I could buy a couple of shirts," George pocketed his hands, "I don't really like shopping and neither do you," He nodded at Dream before looking at Sapnap, "But sinceyou need to see _your girl_ , we can figure it out."

"Really? Are you sure?" Dream asked at the same time that Sapnap cheered, "George, I really do love you sometimes."

George furrowed his eyebrows, a small smile begging to form itself on his face, "You literally called me dumb earlier, but pop off."

"I said _sometimes_ for a reason," Sapnap winked before standing from his seat.

"Are you just gonna leave right now?" Dream said, slightly alarmed.

"I'll Venmo you if you cover my bill. I gotta go. See you soon, boys." Sapnap quickly said his goodbyes and had disappeared out of sight within a minute.

They were left alone once again. George felt the heat getting a little unbearable causing him to loll his head back, his neck resting against Dream's bicep.

"It's _so hot._ " A throaty groan escaped him. 

Though his eyes were closed, George could feel the other's eyes on him as well as the small shift in his seat. He'd never actually admit to it if confronted, but sometimes he did things that he knew would get a reaction from Dream. 

"Let's go. It'll be a lot cooler in the mall," Dream suggested, but he didn't move until George did.

Reluctant to separate their bodies, George stood up, Dream shortly after, as they walked to the counter to pay for their meal.

They'd been walking around the mall for a couple of hours, not really shopping, more so browsing. They stopped by a kiosk to grab ice cream which Dream refused to let George pay for. When they reached a familiar clothing store, George decided to go in and get those shirts he so desperately needed to escape this heat. He wasn't really one for trying clothes on, he usually guestimated the fitting and hoped for the best, but since they had time to kill as they awaited on Sapnap to call, George grabbed an arm full of shirts and disappeared to the fitting rooms. 

As he pulled the last of the shirts over his head, the curtains to the fitting room slid open and Dream slid in. 

"What are you doing?" George spun around as he finished tugging the fabric down.

Dream sighed as he took a seat on the backless bench sat against the wall, "I got bored out there."

George turned to face the mirror, "Are you even allowed to be in here?" 

"Why wouldn't I be?" Dream sounded distracted. 

George looked away from his reflection and noticed a pair of green eyes slowly travel from his legs and upwards until they locked eyes. 

He cocked his eyebrows at him, a small smirk dancing on his lips as he telepathically transferred over a: 'were you checking me out?'. Dream let out a small knowing laugh before leaning his back against the wall. 

"How does this look on me?" George asked.

Dream cocked his head to the side as he sized him up, "I'd like it better off," 

"What?" He asked under his breath.

He watched Dream rise from his seat, clearly to make his way towards him, and all he could do was stand frozen in spot. There was something different about flirting like this in front of their friends, but doing it one on one, especially now that they could so easily physically reach each other, was terrifying. 

Once Dream was towering over him, George felt absolutely helpless. There was that familiar fire that rose in his chest, one that he was accustomed to putting out when things got too overwhelming, but at that moment, it was completely out of his hands. Their bodies were inches apart, they could feel their hot breath dancing in the space between them. 

Dream's fingers tugged at the bottom of George's shirt causing him to stumble into him; they were centimetres apart and George had to droop his head fairly back to look up at him. Dream's fingers gently fiddled with the fabric until they brushed up against George's bare skin, causing his breath to hitch. Dream dipped his head down as he continued to lift the side of George's shirt, this time placing a firm hand on his exposed waist, pulling him in and fully closing the gap between them. George's head lolled backwards in one swift movement, a barely audible gasp leaving his parted lips. 

He felt Dream bring his lips to his ear as he whispered, "You'd make anything look good, George."

George's head was absolutely empty as he felt Dream's other hand place itself on the side of his neck. As George lifted his hand to mindlessly place it anywhere on Dream's body, the space between them slowly returned. Dream took a few steps back, his touch only a ghostly feeling on George's skin that was once again shielded by the shirt. 

Dream fought back a smile and George looked at him, dumbfounded. 

"That was for teasing me about dinner," Dream smirked. 

George's mind was still trying to grasp what had just happened for him to even formulate on how to react; he didn't know whether he wanted to laugh or hit him, but when a ring erupted from Dream's pocket, he was indescribably thankful. 

_"Can you pick me up at the liquor store entrance?"_ Sapnap's voice boomed through the speaker of Dream's phone. 

That request caused George to snap out of his head as he quizzically looked at Dream, who seemed to have the exact same reaction. 

-

" _Why?_ " Those were the only words that Dream could utter as he looked at the 750 mL bottle of Tequila that sat on the counter before the three of them. 

"Consider this," Sapnap said as he turned to Dream, "Why _not_?"

"I can think of a few reasons," George spoke from Dream's left. 

Sapnap's shoulders slouched, "You guys were supposed to get hyped over this,"

"He doesn't even drink," George and Dream simultaneously said as they pointed at each other. 

Dream fought a smile before looking back at Sapnap, "You're not even twenty-one, how did you get your hands on this? Do _not_ tell me you have a fake."

Sapnap chuckled and shook his head, "I don't. Nora got it for me." 

Dream scoffed, "I'm gonna pretend I didn't just hear that your girlfriend bought you, her _underage boyfriend_ , a massive bottle of tequila--" 

"It's not even massive, it's an acceptable size." Sapnap glanced at the bottle. 

George jutted his bottom lip as he studied the bottle, "That's...questionable."

"It's not massive if we're all gonna be drinking from it," Sapnap reasoned. 

"Which we will _not_ be doing." Dream lifted his finger at his friend before fetching a glass of water. 

There was music playing in the background: Sapnap was the one to Bluetooth his phone to the JBL that sat on the dining table. George couldn't pinpoint the song, but he felt he recognized the voice to be that of Post Malone's. 

In the time that Dream had his back turned to them, Sapnap leaned over the counter to have a one-on-one with George. 

"I don't want to drink alone. Don't make me drink alone," He begged. 

George bit his lip as he feigned being in deep thought, "Hm," 

"C'mon dude, don't let me down."

"My mum warned me to never give in to peer pressure," George kept his voice low. 

Dream was genuinely not paying attention to them, his eyes fixated as he read something on his phone. 

"Your _mum--_ " Sapnap mocked, "Your mother isn't here, Georgie. Drink the fucking tequila." 

"Alright," George snickered, "What's in it for me?" 

"A good fucking time." 

_This was ridiculous,_ George thought. There was no way he had flown all the way to Florida to be perched over on the counter, whispering and gambling over Tequila shots with his best friend.

"I want _money_ ," George grinned. 

Sapnap rolled his eyes, "You would want money, you gold-digging bitch." 

"Why do you think I became his friend?" George nodded his head to Dream who stood clueless to the situation before him, eyes still fixated on his phone. 

Sapnap bit back a laugh as he raised a fist at George, "Oh my God, you too?"

George slapped his fist away, "A hundred dollars." 

"Who the _fuck_ do you think I am? Fifty." 

"Eighty." 

"Seventy-five." 

George pretended to think before looking back at him, "Eighty."

A silence fell between them before Sapnap stuck a hand out, "Fine." 

"Per drink." George reached over to shake his hand, but Sapnap pulled back, "Alright, fine, whatever. Eighty."

They shook hands and broke away from each other, standing up from against the counter.

"Okay, but Dream also has to drink," George announced.

Dream's head shot up from his phone, "Why am I getting dragged into this?" He whined. 

George knew that Sapnap was going to be relentless with the begging and he usually got his way at the end of it, but he also knew that Dream absolutely despised how persuasive he was, and George simply wanted to get back at him for what had happened in the fitting rooms. 

"I will make your life a living hell if you don't say yes--" 

"Alright! Oh my god?" Dream shoved Sapnap lightly, "I've never seen you this excited to drink before, are you okay?" 

"To be honest, I just want to see George drunk," Sapnap said as his hand flew to the neck of the bottle. 

"Oh, thanks." George rolled his eyes, "I'm having _one_ drink, by the way." 

When he caught the look Sapnap and Dream shared, he realized that one drink may possibly lead to more. 

_Way more._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hate having to bring drinking into this cause i know they don't drink, but it's a fictional world so fuck it lmao. im posting another chapter tomorrow as well cause the weekend is upon us babyyyy letsgoooo.


	7. We're in the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As their minds are laced with traces of alcohol, George and Dream decide to turn their sexual tension into a game.

A song that sounded as though you'd hear it at a festival played through the Bluetooth speakers that had now been moved from the dining table to the counter where their cups sat in a line. 

"That is _not_ a shot," Dream said as he watched Sapnap pour a double shot into his clear cup.

"I'm eye-balling it," Sapnap said, "Ye know since we're 20-year-olds without shot glasses," He muttered under his breath. 

It was around eight-thirty in the evening when they had decided to start drinking. George was dreadingit. The last time he drank, he had gotten way too plastered, and when his friends recapped the night the following morning, the events that resurfaced in his mind were so traumatizing that he made a promise to himself to never drink again. Yet, here he was. 

George would have been fine getting drunk if that little moment he shared with Dream in the fitting rooms didn't actually happen, but it _did._ He could still feel Dream's touch against him, his hot breath on his neck as he whispered those words into his ear. It was a joke, at the end of the day, and if anything like that were to happen again, George wasn't sure if he'd want to stop it. 

It was a funny thing; when he landed George could barely look at him and now he was letting Dream's hands wander on his body, he even craved it. He reckoned it was because of their dynamic and the way they'd joke about similar things on Discord calls, but now they were actually able to follow through with it. Now that they were back to being comfortable around each other, why would he stop these things from happening? He wasn't opposed to it. 

It was just some harmless fun. 

Sapnap brought the neck of the bottle over George's cup who immediately pulled his cup away from the younger, "I'll pour my own drink, actually."

"George," Sapnap dragged out, a threat laced in his tone, "Give me your cup."

"No. I don't trust you," George shielded his cup with his hand. 

"George, if I gave you a hundred bucks to drink tonight--"

"What?" Dream exclaimed as he looked at George, "That's all you bargained for? You would have tried to get a lot more out of me." 

"Well, we can't all make millions like you, Dream." Sapnap rolled his eyes, evidently joking with a sheer bit of seriousness. 

George sighed and nudged two fingers against his cup as it moved towards Sapnap, "Go on then."

When Sapnap poured a _generous_ amount of alcohol in there, Dream's eyes widened, "Are you trying to kill him?"

"He's _Brih-ish_ , they start drinking when they're, like, twelve," Sapnap said causing a laugh to escape George, "He can handle it." 

"Don't feel like you have to," Dream ignored Sapnap as he frowned his eyebrows at George. 

His cup was filled with a clear liquid that most definitely did not equate to a shot, but Sapnap was right, he could handle it, he just wasn't sure if he wanted to. 

"Oh my God, stop babying him, you simp," Sapnap smirked at Dream. 

"Oh, fuck off." Dream smiled, shaking his head as he walked to the fridge to retrieve the chase.

As Dream walked over to the two of them, George noticed the way his hand grip the two cans of Rootbeer with ease. He had always found himself zoning out on Dream's hand and how they looked gripping the steering wheel, or how the leather sounded as it slipped through his hand in a turn--George swallowed the thought away as he diverted his eyes to his drink. 

"We doing this?" George let out a deep sigh as he leaned his hip into the counter. 

"Let's do it, Papi," Sapnap raised his glass after cracking open the rootbeer. 

Dream nudged a can to George, but the brunet dismissed it, "That's grim." 

"That's _grim,_ " Sapnap mocked his accent causing Dream to laugh, "Are you really just gonna raw dog this shot, dude?" 

"I think the chase might make it worse," George raised his cup, "Let's go." 

Dream counted them down before they simultaneously knocked the liquid down their throats. Sapnap let out a curt cough, grimacing only a tiny bit as Dream gagged a little. George, on the other hand, had taken it with absolute ease. His lips were pressed together as he pushed down the inward suffering that the acidic taste caused to his stomach; at the moment that Sapnap and Dream looked at him, surprise etched on their faces, George was thankful for his UNI experience as it gifted him the poker face following a nasty shot. 

"Ay yo, what the fuck," Sapnap eyed George.

Dream smirked as he sized him up, "That's hot." 

George glanced at him as he broke into a smile, "That sucked." 

"Another?" Sapnap wiggled his eyebrows as he lifted the bottle of tequila in the air. 

Dream examined it and sighed, "I mean...we're gonna have to toss it out anyway 'cause this is _not_ gonna be a regular thing." 

A mischievous grin formed on George's face as he grabbed his cup and pointed it at Sapnap, "Let's pop off!"

"Are we popping off, George?" Sapnap exclaimed, his voice booming over the music. 

"We're going feral, Nicholas." George chanted. 

_So it might have hit him a tiny bit,_ that was his only explanation for wanting to go again.

"I'm going to take one more, but that's it." Dream waved his hand.

Sapnap filled their cups, the liquid measuring up to at _least_ two shots. George wasn't sure why he allowed Sapnap to be in charge of serving them because he was pouring _way_ more than just a single shot causing the effects to hit them harder, and at a faster rate. 

Thirty minutes had elapsed between them as they continued to fill the kitchen with their chatter over the music that continued to play in the background. George felt something shift in himself, as well as the others; he noticed the faint blush in Sapnap's cheek, how much more talkative Dream had gotten, and he most definitely noticed the familiar warmth of the alcohol that kissed his face and the back of his neck. He hadn't felt this since he'd been at University. 

Through the haze that was slowly clouding his mind, George managed to count how many shots they had each taken. Sapnap and George had downed about eight each, while Dream had stopped at five. At the moment he stumbled to the sink to drink straight from the tap instead of grabbing a glass, he could no longer find the word 'no' in his vocabulary when Sapnap suggested another shot. That's how they got to this point and how it always went with George; once he'd start feeling it a little, he would want to keep going. 

A Discord notification sounded through Sapnap's pocket and his friends looked at him quizzically, both still shaking off the taste of the alcohol. 

"Oh shit," Sapnap laughed and bit his lip as he read the text message, " _Jackbox in 30 minutes, don't forget,_ " He slowly looked up, "From Karl," He let his voice falter because the look of shock on their faces informed him that he'd stated the obvious. 

_Oh fuck,_ George thought as he remembered how a week ago, they'd agreed to play Jackbox on Karl's stream.

"We can't back out, that's so fucked." Dream immediately said as he saw the consideration of cancelling on his friends' faces, "We _can't._ "

A silence fell between them, a song by Major Lazer filled the pause they'd all taken as they shared a glance. Sapnap was the first to crack a smile, which then caused a chain reaction until they were all stood in the kitchen laughing like idiots. 

"We _can't_ ," Dream repeated as he slurred. 

"No yeah, we literally don't have a choice, we have to show up," Sapnap spoke through giggles. 

George laughed, but shook his head violently, "I'm _not_ showing up drunk on stream--"

"George, you haaaave to." Dream's hand immediately flew to his mouth as his voice echoed through his head; the awareness of his slurring caught him off guard. 

George's eyes widened, " _Dream._ Everything I--we say is going to be live and recorded in front of however many people are gonna show up."

"Also, George is gonna have to be on push to talk 'cause literally no one has any idea that he's here," Sapnap added to the weight on George's shoulders. 

"Oh my God," George laid his cheek into his palm as his eyes involuntarily fluttered shut. 

_He was drunk._ There was no denying it. And tequila always seemed to hit George differently than other types of alcohol did; he handled Rum just fine, Vodka barely affected him after a while, but _Tequila_. Tequila was his worst enemy. 

A pair of hands cupping his face gently caused his eyes to flutter open; he was met with Dream's white shirt until he felt his face being inclined upwards. 

"You're gonna be fine," Dream simpered. 

George's head felt heavy as he allowed his forehead to collide against Dream's chest, the younger's own hands loosening around the other's warm cheeks. Dream wrapped two arms securely around George's tiny frame, which caused him to wrap his own around Dream's waist. 

"Okay, um," Sapnap snickered, "I guess I'll tell Karl we'll be there."

Dream laid his head on top of George's fluffy hair as he looked at Sapnap, "I'll set it up on the TV, so we can all sit on the couch." 

Dream and George stood in the kitchen for a few minutes, Dream swaying them side to side as they both giggled against each other like idiots. 

It was around 9:06 PM when the three of them were settled on the couch, in the Discord call with Quackity, Corpse, Tina, and Brooke. This was even more nerve-wracking for George because he was _aware_ that there were three people he wasn't fully close with, but he also just couldn't give _less of a shit_ because the tequila rid him of all his senses. His brain was shut off, his mouth would speak whatever came to his mind--at times, Dream had to cover his mouth and Sapnap fought back laughs as he was both utterly shocked and entertained by this side of George: he was one hundred and ten percent unhinged. 

They were halfway through a round of Quiplash when the lobby started realizing that something was different in George: his Thriplash had Quackity, Karl, Dream, and Sapnap in hysterics. George was in tears from laughing so hard and his mind was moving too fast for him to even recognize how out of character it must've looked to others, so he didn't stop himself. 

"What the _fuck,_ George?" Quackity nearly screamed into his mic. 

"Damn," Corpse chuckled, "That's pretty...yeah, that's pretty crazy." 

Karl cackled, "I can't believe--is this real? Has George gone feral?"

"He's just--" Dream caught his breath between his wheeze, "He's very sleep-deprived."

"Yeah, from what it sounds like," Sapnap added.

Dream shot him a playful glare before mouthing, _"That was sus as fuck"_. 

"You three sound drunk," Corpse chuckled. 

"No, no," Dream immediately responded, trying a little too hard to sound sober. 

"I'm underaged." Sapnap chimed in. 

"Who was that? Who spoke, just now?" You could hear the smile in Corpse's voice.

George and Karl burst into laughter at the on-going joke of Corpse knowing who Sapnap was. 

"Oh my God, what is happening tonight?" Quackity laughed. 

"Yeah, you guys are really coming for each other," Tina added. 

"Phrasing, Tina." George finally spoke after recollecting himself. 

Once again, chaos had ensued in the lobby as Tina gasped, " _Gogy!_ "

" _So sorry_ , love," His eyes widened slightly as Sapnap and Dream looked at him, surprised, "But it was gonna get pointed out anyway--" He tried to steady his voice, in a way that could pass him as sober. 

"Oh, that was _so_ British," Tina giggled, " _Love._ "

"Jesus Christ," Quackity filled the silence that built around the boys and Brooke. 

"I gotta go pee," George announced. 

Karl alarmingly said, "What? You can't leave--"

"I have to _pee,_ Karl." George's voice drawled out into his mic. 

"Okay, I'm allowing you twenty seconds," Karl said nonchalantly. 

"Oh, you're allowing me, are you?" He rolled his eyes before ripping his headphones out and stumbling off the couch. 

Dream muted himself before looking up at him, "You gonna be okay?"

George gave him a curt nod before disappearing to the bathroom; he couldn't remember how he got to the bathroom, but he was thankful for making it here in one piece because one more second spent out there and he was sure he would have pissed himself. Once he had flushed, he tripped in front of the mirror above the sink and slowly lifted his head to meet eyes with his reflection. 

His eyes were _bloodshot_ and puffy, "Fuck." He breathed out before opening the tap and splashing cold water on his face. 

George needed to sober up, but he was also kind of having the best time of his life. He felt so confident in everything he said and did, but he had a feeling that might've been the alcohol talking. He never said he'd stop drinking because of the feeling he felt in the moment, but more so the regret that surfaced the following morning. However, at the moment that he looked at himself in the mirror, a lazy smile etched across his face as he felt an incomparable warmth encase him, he didn't hate the idea of going for another drink. 

Dream, Sapnap, and George had been playing Jackbox for a solid two hours when the alcohol started to slowly dissipate from their system. Sapnap looked like he was good to go for another hour, but George was getting so tired of sitting on the couch. For once, he wanted to get up and do something. 

While their friends were conversing on the Discord, George took off his headphones and motioned for Dream to do the same. Dream took one earphone out and cocked an eyebrow at him.

"I want to leave," George pouted. 

"Won't you miss Tina too much?" Dream deadpanned.

 _There it was_ , George smirked. When he had returned from his trip to the bathroom, he formulated an idea in his head and it was to get back at Dream for what had happened in the fitting rooms, so he made it his mission to playfully flirt with Tina (he knew she would never genuinely take anything he said seriously); voting for the things she said in the game when she was up against Dream. Any time an opportunity to make him jealous arose, George snatched it as quickly as he possibly could. And he was good at it, too. According to Karl's chat, _'Top George is scary'--_ whatever that meant, he just knew something worked. And when he saw Dream's mood switch off from playful to quiet and pensive, he was 100% sure he succeeded. 

"Come on," George nodded his head to the kitchen. 

Dream looked him up and down before ditching his headphones and getting up from the couch.

"Ha," George grinned winningly; _Dream could never actually say no to him._

Before Dream could walk away, George stretched his limbs at him mentally asking to be carried. Dream fought back a smile as he turned around and bent down slightly so George could mount his back as the younger hooked his arm around George's legs, who tightened his grip around his friend's broad shoulders. 

Assuming that Sapnap had muted, he asked them, "Where are you two going?"

"I think we're gonna--woah," George was cut off when Dream stood up from the ground almost causing him to slide off until he felt the grip around his legs tighten, "--get a glass of water."

"Oh, can you get me one, _please?_ " Sapnap whispered.

"Of course, mate." George smiled down at him. 

"You turn more _Brih-ish_ and also nicer when you're drunk," Sapnap returned the smile.

George flipped him off before Dream began walking to the kitchen, keeping George steady on his back. Once they arrived, Dream loosened his grip around the shorter boy's leg causing him to land straight on his feet. He was definitely starting to sober up and the thought made him want another drink. 

"Water?" Dream suggested as he went to the tap. 

"Tequila," George corrected.

Dream turned around vastly holding up two fingers, "Two hours ago, you refused to even go near it until Sapnap had to pay you, now you're, like, _begging_ to blackout."

"It's only for tonight, right?" George leaned his hip into the counter, "I didn't know it was possible to miss this feeling."

"What's it like for you?" Dream leaned against the counter opposite him with his arms crossed over his chest. 

George sighed, "I don't know...I can just say and do whatever I want without my thoughts holding me back."

"You're definitely a lot more confident," Dream shifted on his feet. 

A laugh boomed from the living room, "QUIPLASH. Let's. Fucking. Go!" Sapnap cheered. 

George and Dream glanced at their friend with adoration before turning to each other. 

"It worked, didn't it?" George said after silence fell between them. 

"What?" 

"You got jealous, Dream." A smirk eroded onto George's face. 

Dream cocked his head to the side before pushing himself off the counter, making his way towards George who started to stand up straight, "Do you like it when I get jealous?"

George took a deep breath as Dream towered over him; he tried to back away, but the back of his shoe hit the counter behind him, leaving him no escape. In a swift movement, Dream placed both his hand on either side of the counter locking George into place as he dipped his head so their faces were only inches apart. 

Their breaths were laced with alcohol as the scent lulled in the thin space between them, "Mhm." George uttered, his eyes focusing on Dream's plumped lips. 

"What is it that you like about it?" Dream's voice had a tendency to drop octaves when he got this close to George. 

George swallowed, a beckoning smile growing on his face, "I like how possessive you get." 

"How does it make you _feel_ , George?" Dream smirked as his green eyes faltered onto George's lips. 

His heart was racing faster than he could process the thoughts that swarmed his mind; George leaned up slightly with his hands pressed against Dream's chest as he caressed his lips to the younger's ear--he was so sure he felt him shudder beneath his touch. 

"It makes me feel wanted," George said in a barely-audible whisper. 

"And that makes you feel good, does it?" Dream spoke against his temple. 

" _You_ make me feel good," He breathed.

"Fuck," Dream's softly dropped his head onto George's shoulder, "Say it again." 

George slowly twisted the fabric of Dream's shirt as he moved his lips to the younger's neck, brushing them against his warm and tender skin, "No." 

In one swift movement, he lightly pushed Dream off him, liberating himself from his hold. When a small laugh escaped George, Dream was stunned but tried his hardest to recollect himself. 

As he ran a hand through his hair, Dream let out a deep breath, "Maybe I deserved that." 

"Two can play this game, Clay." George winked. 

Dream laughed, "Is that what this is?" 

"Maybe," George spoke through his grin. 

"You do realize you've never won a single game against me, right?" Dream squinted his eyes at him, a pompous smile etched across his face. 

"I think I have a solid chance at this one." George scoffed as he filled an empty glass of water, "Hang on," He left Dream to walk over to Sapnap and tapped his shoulder so his mic didn't pick up George's voice. 

Sapnap muted his mic before gasping, "Gogy, I thought you forgot about me." 

"Nearly did," George said playfully as he handed the water to him. 

"I take back what I said about you being nicer when you're drunk," Sapnap said taking the water from him. 

"See, that would hurt if I actually _cared_ about your opinion, Sapnap." George stuck his tongue out causing Sapnap to flip him off. 

Before George even stepped into the kitchen, he felt a finger hook itself at the belt loop of his jeans, spinning him around until he felt his back flush against Dream's chest. It nearly knocked a breath out of him until he felt Dream's hand on his neck, the pad of his thumb pressed against his jaw, tipping his head back slightly so his hair brushed against the taller boy's adam's apple. He could barely catch his breath before he felt the cold tip of the tequila bottle against his lips. 

"Open," Dream commanded. 

George parted his lips for him as he felt the acidic liquid fill his throat. 

"Good," Dream coaxed.

George nearly choked at how low his voice resonated in the back of his head, he felt himself fall back into his body, feeling Dream's belt dig into his lower back. 

George immediately swallowed when he felt some of the liquid drip from the side of his mouth, but before he could wipe it off himself, he felt the pad of Dream's thumb travel from his jaw to capture the loose drop at the corner of George's lips only to smear it against his bottom lip. Dream's hand ghosted over his neck as George turned and looked up at him licking off the remaining. 

"I win, again," Dream smirked, his hand dropping from George's neck but resting just over his collarbones. 

George couldn't argue; no one had ever held him or touched him in that way before. He realized he was absolutely and utterly _fucked_ when the thought of having the euphoric pleasure of Dream's hand against his skin would simply not compare to anything he was going to feel with anyone going forward. 

He was thankful for the alcohol that coursed his veins for he was able to somewhat formulate a sentence instead of just standing frozen in a spot like he had in that fitting room. 

"It's not gonna be a fair game if you barely give me time to breathe, you know." 

"That's a shame," Dream hummed as he curved a finger under his chin, inclining it so George was forced to look up at him, "I like it best when the things I do leave you breathless," He tapped George's bottom lip with the pad of his thumb before dropping his hand to his side. 

"Boys!" Sapnap called from the living room. 

"Shush," George snapped himself out of his trance as he yelled over his shoulder, "Are you muted--"

"Yes, I'm muted, dumbass. Karl ended Jackbox, but he asked if you guys are gonna hop on Minecraft before he ends the stream." Sapnap said, his voice sounding hoarse. 

Dream walked past George and into the living room, George followed closely behind, "Wait, he already ended Jackbox?"

"Dude, you guys took forever, so we played one more without you. His chat was spamming _DNF acting sus,_ " Sapnap tried to joke, but it was probably a little bit annoying for Karl. 

"Fuck, I feel bad, but I don't think I have the energy to play Minecraft right now." Dream frowned. 

"Me neither, if I'm honest," George spoke from behind.

Dream glanced at George, "Are we going to bed?"

 _We._ It should have surprised George, but it somehow didn't. He heard those words from Dream before, but only over Discord, never face-to-face. 

"No, I just can't focus on a game right now. I just wanna lay down," George whined. 

"Me too, actually. I'll tell him we're off for the night," Sapnap looked at George, "Should I tell him that you two fell asleep on Discord or something?"

"Fuck, I forgot he doesn't know I'm here." George sighed, frustrated. 

"To be fair," Dream cleared his throat, "They're gonna find out when they come to visit, you might as well just tell them."

"I guess--"

"No!" Sapnap cut him off as he sat up in his seat, "We should surprise them."

George and Dream glanced at each other before turning to Sapnap, "That's actually a pretty good idea, yeah." George nodded.

Upon leaving the goodbyes in Sapnap's hands, Dream and George found themselves headed in the same direction: one, because their bedrooms were in the same wing, but two, because they developed this separation anxiety though they'd only been together for 48 hours, maybe even less. 

George wasn't sure how he ended up laying in the garden, on the grass, with Dream laying next to him as they stared up at the starry sky. The breeze that Florida emitted in April kissed the exposed parts of their skin just right, leaving them comfortable enough to wallow in the grass for a while as they discussed the events of the night during the stream. 

George could only make some of his features, the dimmed street light merely helping, only accentuating certain facial features. 

After a comfortable silence had encapsulated them, Dream pointed his finger upwards, "That one's us."

George furrowed his eyebrows, " _What_?"

"That star, it's ours." Dream spoke, his voice sounded different than all the other tones he used throughout the night. 

Maybe it was the exhaustion from a long day, maybe it was the dryness of the alcohol, or simply a version of the soft tones he'd use with George on late night Discord calls. 

George wanted to tell him that they all looked the fucking same, but he couldn't. As he made out Dream's features the best he could under the dim lighting, he saw how honest and at peace he seemed, just looking at the stars.

"How do you know?" Is what George settled for, his voice more hoarse than it was soft. 

"It stands out," Dream locked his fingers and rested them on his chest, "Amongst a billion, trillions of stars, that one is ours 'cause it stands out to me."

These conversations were so out of George's realm that he remained quiet, but he made sure to make it visible that he was interested because he could listen to Dream talk about his ideas for hours like he's done many times in the past. 

"There's a reason why some stars shine a little brighter than others," He chuckled softly, "I don't want to sound egotistical, but..." He trailed off as he re-adjusted his head against the grass, "But some stories are just more significant."

George smiled, "Like ours?" 

Dream smiled and nodded slowly, "Ours is not only significant, George. It's figmental in the most palpable way a story is to exist." 

_It was beautiful_ , George thought. And though one would argue that he was talking about the stars, he was really talking about the way Dream spoke--because as Dream looked up at the stars in awe, George was wholeheartedly looking at _him_. 

"I know...I know you don't necessarily contemplate the meaning of life and whatever," Dream shifted, "But I know you measure it in your own ways," He turned to look at him briefly, his eyes catching George by surprise, "Methodically." 

"Methodical doesn't make the universe sound beautiful," George said in a near-whisper.

Dream pursed his lips as he looked back up at the stars, "Do you think it's beautiful? How, physically, the universe makes us feel so insignificant?" 

George's eyebrows knitted together, his silent confusion causing Dream to continue. 

"Our story is significant, yet not at all." Dream frowned. 

George wasn't sure if he understood, but as he let the silence fall upon them, he tried his hardest to match the level of his intellect. He failed since it wasn't really intellect, more so something that came naturally to someone. Someone that had felt something he had yet to feel so as to understand the meaning behind such substantial words. 

But he attempted, "We're significant in the stars, though, right?"

A pause from Dream had George narrowing his eyes at him. In any other instance, he'd never be interested to have this conversation, to be waiting at the edge of his seat for an answer about goddamn stars, but this was Dream. It was Dream talking about something he seemed to strongly believe in. 

"Mhm," Dream sported a smile that seemed to limbo between happy and sad, "We're in the stars, George."

George forced a smile, forced it because he wasn't sure why _Dream_ didn't seem sure--until he spoke again. 

"That's the problem." 

As he laid next to him trying his hardest to solve the so-called problem, George noticed that Dream had fallen asleep. So he watched him as the calculations continued to pass around his brain. He had talked about the stars so beautifully only for it to be a problem that their story was etched in them? 

George felt his eyes close as his raging thoughts fought the sleep; the answer was out of reach--as far as he imagined their star to be, light-years away. As consciousness left him, he re-instated: their star was light-years away. 

With the slight bit of consciousness that lingered in his mind and a sentence laced in the accent of a sleep-talker, George uttered, "Our ending is in the stars."

_That was the problem._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy fuck this was possibly the longest chapter i wrote. im trying to make it so george and dream are still kind of playful with their sexual tension where like, yeah, i'd be kinda downs to smash, but also like no, it's just homiesexual tension. it's gonna progress into something real, obviously, but i gotta work my way there. 
> 
> also, the contrast from the kitchen tension to laying on the grass talking about the stars like ???...idk what happened there. i was listening to "Show Me" by Big Wild & Hundred Waters & wrote that, but i kinda fucked with it, so there ya go. xx


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